Aïcha Ech Channa 2009 Opus Prize Finalist
Friday, September 18, 2009 at 06:22PM 
Dear Friends, what a proud moment for our community!
It gives me great pleasure to share with you this historical moment, the nomination and classification of Aïcha Ech Channa to finalist for the Opus Prize.
Opus Prize Finalists: Aïcha Ech Channa, from Morocco; Sister Valeriana García from Colombia; and Father Hans Stapel from Brazil. The Opus Prize recognizes individuals whose work and story can inspire us to tackle the world’s most deeply rooted problems.
Aïcha is Founder and president of Association Solidarité Féminine, providing services in Casablanca, Morocco, to help unmarried women with children gain the knowledge and skills necessary to ensure their own livelihoods.
During the 1980s, Ech Channa worked in the Moroccan Ministry of Social Affairs, where she was confronted by the ordeals these women and children faced on a daily basis. In 1985, Ech Channa established Solidarité Féminine to assist mothers in similar situations. The association opened a modest canteen where women could work, learn skills, make money and take literacy classes. Programs expanded to teach skills such as cooking, baking, accounting and hairdressing. The mothers also have access to medical services, psychological counseling, legal assistance and day care for their children.
On November 4th, 2009, the Opus Prize winner will be announced at the Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis and our Moroccan community in the USA is invited to be present and show support to Aïcha Ech Channa.
The $1 million Opus Prize, with $100,000 awards going to the other finalists, recognizes unsung heroes who create lasting social change and inspire others to do the same and we wish Aïcha Ech Channa the best in the finals.
The event tickets are free for the public and can be obtained beginning Oct. 1 at the St. Thomas Box Office, the Orchestra Hall Box Office. For more information on this event and other activities around this occasion please visit the Moroccan American Community Center for updates.
Wining this prize will be a great honor for our country, our people and the future generation. Please show your support by attending the event.
Driss R. Temsamani
Download Invitation
About the Opus Prize
The Opus Prize is given annually to recognize unsung heroes of any faith tradition, anywhere in the world, solving today’s most persistent social problems. Opus Prize winners combine a driving entrepreneurial spirit with an abiding faith to combat seemingly intractable global issues. The Opus Prize Foundation is a private and independent foundation. The prize is awarded through a partnership with a university or college as a way to inspire lives of service. The Opus Prize Foundation does not accept unsolicited nominations. For more information visit www.opusprize.org.